This invention relates to locking pliers of the type having a fixed jaw, a movable jaw, and an over-center toggle linkage secured to the movable jaw to pivot the movable jaw about a pivot axis and to lock the movable jaw in position with respect to the fixed jaw.
Many conventional locking pliers suffer from the disadvantage of an inefficient gripping geometry for large diameter workpieces. If an attempt is made to close a conventional locking pliers on a large diameter workpiece, the closing forces may tend to move the workpiece out of the open jaws, in some cases preventing a stable grip from being obtained.
The present invention is directed to an improved locking pliers which is well suited to grip both large and small diameter workpieces, while reducing or eliminating any tendency of the workpiece to be pushed out of the pliers as the jaws are closed.